KEY POINTS:
April Fool's Day. Christmas. Mother's Day. The Day of the Dead. Summer. Winter. The Rugby World Cup. The European Championship. Cellphone ban. You can see the connection between all of the above, can't you?
Yup, you're right. They're all events. And where there's an event, there's a chance to get a big, chunky spotlight on your business.
But how do you connect your business with, say, the European Soccer Championship?
Let's say you're an actress. Or a beer maker. Or a pizza restaurant. Or a hotel. Where's the darned connection between soccer and your business?
The connection exists, if you know how to look for it. And just for good measure, let's take a few examples.
* Example 1 from Italy:
Elena Santarelli, an Italian celebrity, promised to undress live on TV if the Italian team beat Romania. Of course, she knew she might have to hunt for a TV station, but hey, can you see that "brand awareness" (dubious as it is) going up?
* Example 2, from Austria:
A Viennese brewery promised a lifelong supply of beer to any Austrian player who scored a goal in their remaining Euro 2008 group matches against Poland and Germany. And the chief executive added that he would personally deliver the brewer's supply for the first year. Aha, not just great beer, but a personal valet service, too.
* Example 3, from Switzerland:
A tiny Swiss pizza restaurant, Cortile, promised a lifetime supply of free pizza to two soccer players if they scored X number of goals.
* Example 4, again from Austria:
The Arcotel put up the barricades, and declared itself a No-Euro Zone. This meant that anyone who was sick of Euro 2008 could find refuge in the hotel, where not only was there no coverage of the action, but there were actually other programmes and entertainment that took guests as far as possible from the cacophony of the championships.
Those are just four out of probably 40,000 examples. And they're all built around events.
While Santa's coming is an event, so is a cellphone ban.
While the Rugby World Cup is an event, so is the coming winter freeze.
And it's totally up to you to identify the events, and then get the maximum exposure you can for your business, based on the event rollout.
Which is all very fine in practice, but why would a big ol' newspaper listen to little ol' you?
After all, you're just a tiny, atom-sized business, right?
Well, so is the Italian actress. So is the Viennese brewery. So is the tiny pizza restaurant. What's interesting is that the tinier you are, the more likely you are to get that spotlight on your business.
Here's why: your local press depends on news. And yes, they get loads of news from the news syndicates such as Associated Press or Bloomberg. But that's rarely local news. And international news just doesn't have the oomph of a local business.
Plus, it's fine to keep getting news about some high and mighty Microsoft-kinda-business. But it's way more interesting to hear about Grandma's bakery down the street. So if you have something interesting to say, the press sure wants to know about it.
However, simply linking an event to your product or service isn't enough. You've got to have a bit of zaniness thrown in as well.
So the Viennese brewery isn't just promising a lifetime supply of beer, but a chief executive valet as well - for the entire year. The Arcotel hotel isn't just declaring the hotel a Euro-free zone, it's also putting in other bits of entertainment to keep customers occupied. And in doing so, they're combining news with entertainment.
Your bright idea needs to have some zing; some pizzazz; some kapow that makes sure it gets the attention of the press.
So how do you get the attention of the press? Well, look at what's happening around you.
At this very moment, depending on where you live, winter is close at hand. Are you a health practitioner who can help people keep warm based on the food they eat? Do you sell bread? Is there a type of bread that's warming? Do you do training? Could you not have a winter camp for professionals?
What you really need to do is:
1. Sit down and make a list of events. And don't forget breaking events such as a cellphone ban or something that's due in a few weeks or months.
2. See how you can connect your business to that event.
3. Add some zaniness. Lots of zaniness.
Then get in touch with your local or national newspaper. Or get in touch with your own list of clients and tie in a product or service to an event.
The spotlight is there for the shining, no matter how minuscule your business. You can take the fullest advantage of Christmas, or Mother's Day, or winter, or April Fool's Day. And you should.
It sure beats doing nothing and being an April Fool forever.
